Shoe with inflated sole and heel



y 1954 P. OWSEN ET AL 2,682,712

SHOE WITH INFLATED SOLE AND HEEL Filed Dec. 30, 1950 INVEN TOR. pen-ta OWsE BY PAUL. J. OWSEN Wrriflam Patented July 6, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOE WITH INF-DATED SOLE AND HEEL Peter Owsen and Paul J Owsen, Dearborn, Mich.

Application December 30, 1950, Serial No. 203,576

1 Claim.

Our invention relates to a new and useful improvement in an inflated sole for footwear adapted for use on shoes, boots and other types of footwear.

It is an object of the present invention to provide in footwear of this class a sole having an inflated sole so that the user thereof, regardless of the surface over which walking will always have a yieldable pad beneath the foot.

Another object of the invention is to provide footwear in which the fatigue of walking, climbing, jumping, etc. will be considerably reduced.

Another object of the invention is the provision in footwearpf an inflatable sole so arranged and constructed that an undue flexing of the sole on a longitudinal axis will be avoided, while at 'the same time flexing of the sole on a transverse axis may take place.

Another object of the invention is the provision in footwear of an inflated sole having reenforcing' corrugations extending transversely thereof.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a sole of this class of a construction whereby the lower part of the sole together with the inflated element may be easily and quickly removed from the shoe and replaced thereon.

Another object of the invention is the provision of footwear having a sole with a layer of air insulating the same from the surface over which the person may be walking so as to insulate the foot from cold and heat.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

It is recognized that various modifications and changes may be made in the detail of structure illustrated and the present disclosure is to be considered to be the preferred embodiment.

Forming a part of th s application are drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a shoe embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the toe portion.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings we have illustrated the invention as applying to a shoe having a front or toe portion 9 and a heel or rear portion and provided with an insole II to which is attached the supporting welt l3. Secured to the under surface of the supporting welt I3 is a strip M of canvas or other suitable flexible material. This portion I4 is secured to the under surface of the welt l3 Ci y '* inwardly from opposite side edges.

2 by gluing and also by the stitches l5. Secured to the portion 14 and also by the stitches I5 is a strip iii of canvas or the like which embraces the perimeter of the re-enforcing plate ll which is formed from plastic or other similar material. This plate I7 is provided with transverse beads which extend between the edges thereof and terminate short of the side edges so that positioned inwardly from the outward side edges and extending transversely of the plate are corrugations.

Glued to the upper face of the supporting welt i3 is a layer I8 of canvas or other suitable material which is also stitched to the supporting welt l3 and to which is stitched the layer 19 of canvas or other suitable fabric, these layers 18 and 19 serving as a retaining member for one part 20 of a fastener which is adapted to cooperate with the part 2 I. These fasteners are of a well-known type and are formed from metal so that the downwardly projecting portion Ma of the strip M will serve as a protection at the inner side of the fastener. Secured to the upper face of the strip l4 and depending therefrom is a flap 22 formed from rubber which is adapted to cooperate with the flap 23 also formed from rubber which projects upwardly from the wall forming portion 24 and serves to enclose the fastener elements. The lower fastener element is secured to the canvas strips 25 and 26, this portion 25 constituting an upwardly turned marginal portion of the sheet 21 which is secured to the inner face of the tread sole 28. This wall forming portion 24, which is preferably formed from rubber, is glued or otherwise suitably attached to the outer face of the tread sole 28, which is also preferably formed from rubber. The portion 26 constitutes the upwardly turned marginal portion of the sheet 29 which overlies the sheet 21 and upon which is positioned a plate 30 formed from aluminum, plastic or other suitable material, this plate 30 being rigid as is likewise the plate l1. Formed transversely of the plate 30 are the beads 3| which are pressed upwardly and which terminate inwardly from the side edges thereof to constitute transversely extended corrugations terminating A strip 32 of canvas is stitched to the upwardly turned portions 25 and 26 and the inwardly directed marginal portion 33 which overlies the edge of the plate 30. These fastener elements extend around the shoe so that the tread portion with its attached parts may be completely detached from the upper portion. Between the plates 30 and I! is a compartment in which is positioned a rubber bag 35 adapted for reception of air through the air valve 36 which extends through the opening 3'! formed in the side wall.

The user may inflate the bag to any desired pressure and it will be noted that the plastic plate I? curves upwardly adjacent the heel so that the compartment or space 34 is of greater depth at the heel portion than at the remaining portion so that atthat part of the shoe which is subjected to the most pressure or jar a greater volume of air under pressure is provided.

When the fastener embodying the elements 29 and 21 is unfastened the lower portion of the sole structure embodying the part 28 and its attached parts may be detached from the upper portion embodying the part l5 and its attached parts. When these parts are fastened together by the fastener so that the compartment is closed the bag will be confined within the space 3 5 and when this bag is inflated it will engage the plates I1 and 39 and the parts Ma and 32 which may be termed parts of a wall forming portion. When the bag is inflated there will, of course, be a cushion of air located beneath the foot of the wearer so that the cushion effeet and the ease in walking, jumping, climbing, etc. referred to above will be obtained. Ex-

- perience has shown that fatigue resulting from walking, climbing or jumping is reduced considerably by the use of such a sole and by having the corrugations extending transversely the sole may flex freely on transverse axes but is prevented from flexing on longitudinal axes, so that a twisting of the foot is avoided.

What we claim is:

In footwear, an upper; a welt carried by and projecting outwardly beyond said upper; a layer of flexible material secured to and covering the under surface of said Welt and underlying said upper; a rigid reenforcing plate positioned beneath and in spaced relation to said layer of flexible material; a flexible covering strip doubled upon itself and embracing the marginal edges of said plate; a flexible member positioned at one edge between said covering strip and said layer and depending at its other edge below the bottom of said reenforcing plate; stitching for securing said layer and said strip and said flexible member to said welt; a flexible inflatable bag positioned below said reenforcing plate and engaging, at its top, with the under surface of the same; a rigid reenforcing plate positioned below said bag and engaging the outer side of the bottom; a tread sole carried by said secondnamed reenforcing plate; a flexible protective flap lying at one edge between said secondnamed reenforcing plate and the bottom of said bag and extending upwardly at its other edge; and slide fastener means comprising a pair of parts, one being carried by said welt and the other by said tread sole said parts being positioned opposite said flexible member and said protective flap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,010,187 Scott Nov. 28, 1911 2,205,091 Gefiner June 18, 1940 2,287,190 McLeod Apr. 1, 1941 2,430,338 Heiman Nov. 4, 1947 2,535,394 Davis Dec. 26, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 17,659/97 Great Britain July 23, 1898 

